I'm redoing an area in my front yard and I need some ideas from a more experienced planter. We pulled out some bushes, dug out the gravel and plastic. We put up landscaping bricks and added dirt from another part of our yard along with grass clipping, peat moss and maybe some topsoil. The dirt seems claylike, hardly no worms.
Anyways I need ideas for shade bushes/plants preferrably ones that flower.
Here are some pics of the area.
Tammy
front middle of house

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I completely agree with the previous suggestions! There are several varieties of hydrangea in my shady spot along with hostas, japanese aralia, various forms of ferns, caladiums in 3 colors and variegations and assorted flowering annuals for color. I do have times of sunlight so I have tried flowers that usually require sun and they have worked well for now, I.E. moss rose, portulaca, larkspur and stock. These were grown from seed then transplanted into the shady spot. We recently felt brave (or stupid) and planted a Banana Tree
and Elephant Ears. Although the Elephant Ears call for full sun they are working very well for now. I hope this gives you some more ideas. Oh yeah, Impatiens too. Another area with partial sun to full sun I am growing some Spider Plants, also known as Cleome. These are fabulous! I had concerns about fertilizers for my shady area and settled on something that works well. I went to Lowes and bought a one gallon container of Compost Tea Concentrate since I don't enough finished compost right now, a gallon of Horticultural Molasses and a bag of Earthworm Castings. I mix them together and use a pond pump to aerate the mixture. The idea here is to get a lot of oxygen into the mixture and extract nutrients from the earthworm castings. In a five gallon bucket or larger I mix all this up and can fertilize 3 ways. Pour it directly onto the soil and foliage, Pour it into a sprayer and mist the leaves with it for a good foliar feeding and last, put it in a hose end sprayer. I have fertilized my lawn this last way and my lawn just took off! My flowering plants bloomed within a few days and my rose plants grew more blossoms than ever before. (30 buds in a week!) It is so amazing how natural products like these work so much better than synthetic fertilizers. Good luck and good gardening!

Wow, thanks for all the ideas.
I did notice that the area does get some a.m. sun.
I will probably try some part sun plants also.

Twwright- In another post,(worm farm) I asked for advice on this area not having many worms. I was given advice on how to enrich my soil with organic matter, then to add worms. I was adviced not to plant in this area for 3 months.
What do you think about that?

Mizzeliz- I tink I have Lily of the Valley on the side of my house with white flowers. Do you have any pics of them?

Honeysuckle would be nice for fragrance and it will grow in shade.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/audwoman/

If you want the rainbow you have to put up with the rain!!

Yesterday I planted two honeysuckle vines.
I hope they will climb my porch railings
Tammy

I know you have already planted but I thought I would add one of my favorites. I love toad lily because many varieties have upright growth and would add some nice textural contrast to the plants you mentioned above. In addition they have unusual orchid like blooms in the fall. Just my 2 cents...

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Doug
Northern VA

Ok I guess I don't know what I am talking about.
Some are hardy to zone 4. Sorry
I guess I just don't remember seeing them at the flower shops. I'll take a look.
Tammy